Kerala team celebrates after getting the better of Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy semifinal in Ahmedabad on February 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY
He may be better known as an umpire now, but K.N. Anathapadmanabhan was one of the best spinners in India’s domestic cricket for years, with 344 First Class wickets. He was also the captain when Kerala qualified for the Ranji Trophy knock-out stage for the first time in 1994-95. Twenty years later, Kerala is in the final of India’s premier domestic tournament.
And Ananthapadmanabhan is delighted.
“This is Kerala’s 1983 moment,” he tells The Hindu. “It is a great achievement and this place in the final is earned by Kerala.”
In the final starting at Nagpur on Wednesday, Kerala will take on Vidarbha. Ananthapadmanabhan, who was the TV umpire of the semifinal in which Vidarbha beat Mumbai, believes it should be an exciting contest.
“Vidarbha is perhaps the most balanced side in the Ranji Trophy,” he says. “They have a strong batting line-up and an excellent bowling attack. I am particularly impressed by their left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who needs just three more wickets to be a Ranji season’s most successful bowler. Seamer Yash Thakur is also quite good.”
Ananthapadmanabhan feels Kerala has the team to stop the host. “The way Kerala has fought back from tough situations on several occasions has been remarkable,” he says.
Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddin and Salman Nizar celebrate after the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Kerala at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, 12/02/2025.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
“Salman Nizar and Mohammed Azharuddeen were brilliant with the bat, and it was great to see the tail-enders putting up a brave display time after time.”
He is all praise for Jalaj Saxena. “He has been a magnificent servant for Kerala cricket ever since he joined the team as a professional,” he says. “It is good that Kerala added Aditya Sarwate to the squad this year; they now form a superb spin attack.”
Kerala bowler Jalaj Saxena who took four wickets on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Gujarat in Ahmedabad on February 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. MOORTHY
Looking back to his playing days, Ananthapadmanabhan says Kerala had surprised everyone in 1994-95. “The Ranji Trophy those days was, of course, played on a zonal-basis and Kerala was regarded as one of the weaker sides,” he recalls.
“Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Hyderabd were the big teams. And it was never easy to beat or even take the first innings lead against those teams, but at Palakkad, we beat Tamil Nadu, who had players like W.V. Raman, S. Ramesh, V.B. Chandrasekhar, Robin Singh and S. Sharath.”
Ananthapadmanabhan says Kerala shouldn’t get complacent. “The Kerala Cricket Association is doing a fine job, but we need to think of the future,” he says. “Remember, Jalaj is 38. We need to get young spinners and technically correct batters.”
Published – February 23, 2025 08:32 pm IST
